Dark and Twisted Games
by K-K-Girl
Summary: Chihiro and Haku are captured by a bad guy. why? a bit hard to follow, C/H!
1. Prologue

A/N: ^-^ I see the movie twice and I'm already drooling over it. I mean, really, is this normal? :p guess so. *cracks knuckles* alrighty, then! I will have to warn you, this is my first ficcy in this relatively new and small fiction part of FF.Net, so, go easy. But not *too* easy, because I adore Constructive Criticism (CC) to no absolute end!! :D yeah. So. Go figure. Also, this is AU for a few reasons ::ahem:: they are, A) Chihiro is three years older than actually in the movie, yea? That would be twelve or thirteen, unless I'm mistaken. B) I have changed a few things that the wonderfully loved creator of Spirited Away had originally. Kk? I'll let you know what they are when the occasions arise. C) I noticed a few people spelling Lin's name with an 'r' instead of an 'L' and I've seen people do 'Yubaba' as 'Yu-baaba' too. Again, I've observed things like 'Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi' and etc. I have no idea about those. What are they? What do they mean? So sue me for not understanding, even though I've got the double DVD set. Shoot. Shoots 'n ladders. So if anybody might be nice enough to let me know about those? I'd really like it if somebody did. You don't have to review if you don't want to, by the way. Even if the entire world flames or ignores me, I'll continue to waste space on the Web with this.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Spirited Away. Miyazaki does. *drools all over the wonderful Miyazaki's shoes with wide freakily admiring eyes* dun sue me, all you'll get is an old Easter Egg that I haven't managed to wolf down yet. ^-^ no profit is being made from this.  
  
Summery: in this, our lovely little Hero-ette is not ten/nine, but twelve/thirteen. K? got that? All right. ::cough:: summery. Yeah. Okay. She has escaped with her parents, off to their new home - but Chihiro has no idea what kind of hell she left Haku in. a shadow casts itself over the bathhouse or whatever it is the moment she is gone, and everybody becomes incredibly EVIL. Except Haku, and a select few others, of course. And it wants Chihiro - well, it knows her as Sen of course - and yanks her back rather unceremoniously. It also wants Haku. Hmm. Now, why, I wonder? READ TO FIND OUT THEN, BRIGHT ONE!!! Don't judge this fic by what summery I put in this chapter. I've been known to change my plot multiple times, and I always post the updated plot in the upcoming chapter. So.  
  
Chapters: I'm suspecting around five to thirteen chapters. They may be half a paragraph long to thirty document pages long. I've been known to do both. ^_~  
  
Rating/Pairings: PG-13 just to be safe [or not ~_^] and C/H of course, though I'll put maybe a few other things in too...  
  
Genre: Drama/Action/Adventure/Romance???/Angst?/Horror?/suspense?/AU [Author's Universe]  
  
Prologue Started: 4/21/03 Prologue Finished: 4/22/03  
  
Third Person POV  
  
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Ring around the rosies,  
  
A pocket full of posies  
  
Ashes, ashes,  
  
We all fall down...  
  
-- -The Black Death  
  
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_________________________________________~*~____________________________ ________  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
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"Chihiro, stop squeezing, you'll make me trip!"  
  
They broke out of the tunnel and into the light of day.  
  
"What the!" her father ran to their car, time having taken it's toll on it.  
  
"Could this be somebody's idea of a joke?"  
  
"It's all dusty inside, too!"  
  
Chihiro, though, turned back to the dark opening and held her breath. She tried to pierce the blackness with her eyes, but that proved to be impossible.  
  
"Come on, Chihiro!"  
  
She got in the car, and they started to drive away.  
  
"A new town and a new school - you must be worried."  
  
"I think I can handle it," she replied quietly, still trying to see through the dense darkness over her shoulder, out the back window.  
  
Her mother glanced back at her.  
  
"Chihiro-chan, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine, mom."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes daddy."  
  
Her parents glanced at each other at her sarcastic tone. "Teenagers."  
  
"Ah, those were the golden years!"  
  
Chihiro sighed and tuned them out as they rounded a bend and a few minutes later left the forest and tunnel behind once turned onto a little-used road. "Here's the road we were looking for!"  
  
Her parents remained blissfully oblivious as to what had happened the last few days. Or had it been weeks? Months? Years? She didn't know. She was just glad to have them back.  
  
Then... why did she feel like bursting into tears?  
  
She didn't know that, either.  
  
No, she did.  
  
Haku.  
  
Twisting around, she looked out the back window in a hopeless cause. They would probably never find that place again. Never.  
  
But then, he *had* promised.  
  
Then maybe he'd come visit her instead?  
  
No, he couldn't leave the Spirit World.  
  
Could he?  
  
Again, her lack of knowledge was enough to make anybody sick.  
  
"Chihiro? I really think that something is wrong. You've not said a word, honey. Do you really miss your friends so much already? Tell ya what, we can call them when we get home. How's that sound?"  
  
"Great, mom. Thanks."  
  
"Don't be so cold to your mother, dear. She only wants to help."  
  
"I'm sorry mom, sorry daddy. Just... one of my friends is moving away too, and I don't know his address or phone number." Well, close enough. She had never been a good liar or one to use synonyms and similes.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe when the new phone book comes out we'll track him down." Her mother closed one eye, then turned back to the front once more.  
  
"Sure." Chihiro could bet a lot that Haku *definitely* wouldn't be listed.  
  
For a long time it was just silence, and she sighed and laid down, like she had before. She shifted uncomfortably when her pony tail got in the way, and she reached up to take it out. She gasped when she realized the band was, and closed it tightly in a fist.  
  
"What's wrong? Why did you gasp?"  
  
"I'm fine. I, uh, laid back on the roses is all."  
  
"All right. We should be there in a few of hours, provided we don't take any bad short cuts."  
  
"Okay. Thanks."  
  
'It'll keep you safe,' Is what granny had said.  
  
Would it do anything else?  
  
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"Oh, honey, look at that! Rain cloud!" her father said close to a few hours later. Chihiro woke from her dozing state with a small jerk at the unexpected outburst, and sat up, putting her hair back up with the *special* hair binder.  
  
"The skies were baby blue just a little while ago!" her mother replied, craning her neck slightly.  
  
"It's because the sun set, mom," Chihiro pointed out.  
  
"Yes, yes, dear, but look - see it's beginning to rain, too!"  
  
Indeed. The car began to get pummeled by large, fat rain drops. They began to come faster and faster, until soon it was just a steady drum, a roar.  
  
"Amazing! I've never seen rain come down this fast!" her mother remarked.  
  
"Would you look at all of that fog!" her father added, leaning forward, straining against his seatbelt while clicking on the lights at full blast, and the wind-shield wipers, too. "wow! I hope it isn't always like this on the coast!"  
  
"May be," came the quiet reply from the back. Chihiro examined the window, and jumped as something that was much harder and smaller than rain smacked against it. "what was that?"  
  
"A small stone," her mother replied. "the car ahead of us is kicking them up."  
  
"Then why did it hit my window??"  
  
"I'm not - LOOK OUT!!"  
  
They swerved hard to the right, slid a ways until her father got control of the steering wheel, then swerved back onto the road, all the while barely missing a passing semi truck.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Nothing happened, dear!" her father sounded rather frustrated. "some jerk just doesn't know how to drive on the right side of the road."  
  
"We could have been KILLED!" Chihiro shrieked, voice rising in pitch.  
  
She had NOT just spent who-knows-how-long trying to save her parents from a bunch of spirits just to lose them to a stupid car crash now that she had triumphed!  
  
"It could be that he couldn't see where he was going," her mother said softly. Softly. Not meant for her daughter's ears. Chihiro nervously reached up and touched her hair binder.  
  
"Perhaps. I think it's best we get home soon, though."  
  
"How much longer until we get home?"  
  
"An hour, hour and a half," her mother replied quietly.  
  
"Well, I think that we should get a room for the night! It's too dangerous!"  
  
"Nonsense, Chihiro. Your father is in perfect control, and we're too close to be wasting money like that anyway."  
  
"NO! mom, daddy, I don't want to lose you!" it had slipped out before she could stop.  
  
Her mother twisted around to look at her, and her father examined her reflection in the rear-view mirror.  
  
That was their undoing.  
  
HONK! HOOOOOOOOOOONK!!!  
  
Chihiro screamed at the top of her lungs as they swerved once again. Except this time, the passing car knocked them, and sent them reeling.  
  
"We're on the wrong side of the road!" her mother called, reaching over and jerking the steering wheel.  
  
"Don't do that! I think I've realized the same thing, too!"  
  
"Don't shout! Don't argue, you'll get us all killed!"  
  
Her parents made the third Mistake Of The Year by looking back at her again.  
  
"LOOK AT THE ROAD!!"  
  
Too late.  
  
This time, however, they were more lucky, and swung into the right lane easily enough. After a tense silence, all three sighed in relief and slumped down in their seats.  
  
"The fog's getting worse," her father grumbled, reaching forward and wiping the window with his hand futilely.  
  
"Let's find a place for the night!" Chihiro repeated.  
  
"I must admit, the idea is beginning to sound nice," her mother agreed in her soft-my-daughter-who-is-in-the-back-can't-hear-me voice.  
  
"No," came the harsh reply. "the next town is too far back, and anyway we're too close to be giving up now!"  
  
"But daddy-"  
  
"I said NO. Now, you two just buckle your seatbelts and relax. I can - and will - handle this."  
  
Again, Chihiro reached up and tapped her band with a finger, just to assure her it was there. She buckled her seatbelt.  
  
"Yes daddy."  
  
She forced herself to calm down and sit back into her seat. Needlessly, her mother glanced at her. "I'm sorry, Chihiro. Your parents have really screwed up royally this evening."  
  
"No. it's okay. I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay. Right?" she forced her voice to be cheerful.  
  
"Right!" her mother sighed and stared out the window. "The fog seems so thick," she said again in that for-daddy-only tone. "much thicker then I've ever seen it before..."  
  
"We're almost there, right?"  
  
"Don't start that 'are we there yet' crap, Chihiro. Yes, we're almost there."  
  
Chihiro looked out her window, too. She couldn't see anything through the rain and mist.  
  
She wondered what Haku was doing right then. She wondered what they all were doing right then.  
  
Suddenly, her father let out a surprised shout along with her mother, red lights blaring abruptly in front of the car, her parents throwing their arms up over their faces out of reflex. It felt as though everything was in slow motion. Chihro felt - yes, felt - something impact the front of the car, something hard and unmoving, crumpling the front into nothing. Like when you step on a pop can with your foot, in one clean, super-fast stroke. She felt gravity and motion seize control of her body and pull her forward into the crashing, shattering glass, that fell like droplets from a waterfall around her. Her seatbelt held her fast, though, and Chihiro felt painful jerk as she was yanked back into her seat. She was unaware of her screaming the whole time.  
  
BOOM!!! She felt the other side of the car. The other side. something had pushed it into her - something had hit the side.  
  
Horns, screaming, wind howling, and rain. Steady, beating, drumming rain.  
  
Glass. Everywhere, flying without anything to hold it down, bringing forth droplets of blood the same size unnoticingly out of adrenaline filled bodies.  
  
Crash! The back of the car was slammed forward, and Chihiro had the craziest idea that she might die as she was pushed into the side of her father's seat, unable to twist into a rightly unpainful position - she had been sitting in the middle in the back.  
  
And it was over.  
  
All of that had happened in a matter of seconds.  
  
No time whatsoever to regester what had happened.  
  
Though it was obvious. They had slammed into a car in front, and two cars - one on the side, and one behind, hit them head-on, too.  
  
The fog and rain swept into their car, through the shattered windows.  
  
"Chihiro, are you okay?" her mother touched her cheek from where she was pinned - all three of them were pinned, though Chihiro's being the more painful as she was between her seat and her father's, halfway, had reflexively tried to twist out, but had only managed to get in the horrible position she was in now. Her seat belt held her shoulder painfully, defiantly, back. Both she and her father had passed out. Unconscious.  
  
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A/N: I know that sucked, but it'll get better, I promise! 


	2. Thrown Around

A/N: wow! Reviews! OMG, I can't believe it!! *passes out cookies* Yay!  
  
Disclaimer: if I owned, why would I put a DISCLAIMER in, eh? Lol, okay, okay! I don't own anything within this fic 'scept my plot 'n whatever else ya dun recognize. Oh, yeah, and before I forget, I don't own Spirited Away. In case I forgot that.  
  
Chapter Started: 4/22/03  
Chapter Finished: 4/23/03  
  
Third Person POV, Chihiro  
  
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Chihiro opened her eyes, then immediately shut them against the light the seemed to pierce all the way to the back of her brain.  
  
She waited a moment, then unfurrowed her brow and slowly let her eyes get used to the glare. Then she took more notice of herself.  
  
For one, she hurt. All over, but especially at her neck and left shoulder. Or right between. Or both AND right between. She was laying on her back, hands thrown above her head [in a rather painful position for her shoulder and neck], something that felt suspiciously like water all around her. As though she were floating on it... no, she realized, she was in water but shallow water. She could feel the sand - rocks? - beneath her back. Her wrists were bound together.  
  
It didn't smell salty, and she couldn't taste it, so she wasn't at the ocean. Where was she, then? Where were her parents?  
  
"'Ehy you, gerrup!" said a hoarse voice, and she felt a sharp twang in her side. something had poked her. A foot, most likely. Or a stick.  
  
With a deep breath, Chihiro opened her eyes once more. And, once more, she shut them quickly, tightly.  
  
It wasn't human. It looked something like a cross between a human and a frog, really, in neat white robes. It was one of *them*, from where she had just escaped a little while ago. Or was it the other day? Weeks? How long had she been out?  
  
"I say' gerrup!" he shouted again, and this time her did kick her, in the side of her ribcage. Chihiro let out a startled and painful yell, tears pricking the corner of her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, she was jerked out of the water and placed on her feet, one of the creature's hands wrapped around her already wrapped-around wrists. Pain washed over her - no, it was really more soreness than pain - and she stumbled, the extra weight of her water-soaked clothes an added problem.  
  
"C'mon, Human!" he snarled at her, then began dragging her - and she realized where she was. Water-covered train tracks, a certain building/island whatever it was right in front of her.  
  
It took her a moment to realize that the sudden, piercingly anguished yell was coming from herself.  
  
"Shurrup!" the frog-dude turned, jerking her forward at the same time [Chihiro had fallen to her knees], and once again planted his foot in a bruised spot - her stomach. She doubled over and cried harder.  
  
Would she have to do all of that over again? Where were her parents? What was going on, how had she gotten here? Or maybe... maybe she had never escaped, perhaps she had just come and fallen asleep out here. But then, how had her hands been tied up? Why was she sore all over, especially between her left shoulder and neck? How had she managed to get bruised all over?  
  
Maybe the train had run over her.  
  
Heh.  
  
Stupid thought, that.  
  
"This is all a dream!" she cried as he - the frog-dude - dragged her impatiently along. Déjà-vu. Wasn't that what she had said when she had first gotten here? All a dream, just go away, disappear...  
  
Disappear! Hurriedly, Chihiro scrambled to get in a painless position where she could see her hands, legs. Just as she had thought. She was fading! Fading away, into nothing, forever.  
  
Then maybe she'd get her hands out of the rope.  
  
Nope. The rope was magical, or so she thought. It began to glow as her fingers fell through one another, and the frog-dude noticed. He swore and took off at a faster pace. Chihiro couldn't keep up, and was dragged along, throw painfully into a boat thing, and left to try to get the water she had just swallowed out of her system.  
  
Then she was thrown painfully out, and sunk halfway through the dock, though still on it. her glowing rope was grabbed, and she was once again dragged painfully up some stairs, through halls, more stairs, inside - where she wanted, and hated, never wanting to be - through, thrown carelessly onto a chair, hands jerked above head [eliciting another cry through her already flowing tears] and something stuffed into her mouth.  
  
She knew what it was. Some of their food.  
  
She coughed, and tried to spit it out, wanting nothing to do here - when had they become so cruel? The ones she had left behind had seemed to grow on her - and she them - but this was... torture. A hand/flipper grasped her chin, and somehow Chihiro found herself swallowing.  
  
A moment of rest. Ah, peace, relaxation!  
  
"Ah - ow!" she was jerked by the now-not-glowing-rope and pulled into an elevator, thrown to the ground.  
  
"What are you doing?" she cried. "what's going on? How did I get here? Where are my parents? Why are you doing this?!?"  
  
"I SAY' SHURRUP!" she doubled over and coughed, gasping for air after a foot was planted once more into her gut. Chihiro stayed silent for the rest of the journey up, only giving a few whimpers or choked sobs as she was dragged along to Yubaba's room.  
  
Once inside, the door was slammed shut behind her, and she was thrown to her knees, head pushed down, arms yanked above and around head. Their being tied tightly with the magic rope kept her chin pressed firmly in the hollow between her neck and chest, elbows pushing harder to keep her eyes down that way. "What's going on?" she whimpered.  
  
"Ah, Sen you must be." Drawled an unrecognizable voice. Chihiro started to look up, but her arms were jerked, and her head was slammed back down. She let out a painful cry, for the moment only being able to focus on her burning shoulder and neck.  
  
"Crybaby," the voice remarked, and the owner of it sauntered over to her. She could barely make out black boots, but flinched (once again eliciting a cry of pain from her own lips) as a cold, pale hand pressed between her ear and shoulder, and the pain numbed a little. In fact, her entire body numbed, and she slumped against her bonds.  
  
"Shall I relea' 'er, m'lord?"  
  
"No." her bound wrists were jerked forward as the cold hand removed itself and took them instead. "leave us now."  
  
"Yea' s'ir."  
  
The frog-dude marched out.  
  
"We meet at last, Sen," the voice whispered. He was *not* Yubaba, that was for sure.  
  
"who are you?" one question led to another. "what am I doing here? Where are my parents? Yubaba? The baby? Haku?"  
  
"You would do well to keep that sweet little mouth of yours shut," his reply was scathing. "or I among others will have to do it for you."  
  
"Where are they?!?" Chihiro shrieked, trying to lift her head. Amazingly enough, she did, and the rope holding her raw wrists together fell to the floor. The catch to this action was that both arms were cut from the small letter-opener-sized knife the man was holding, and a hard smack to the forehead and cheek, sending her reeling on her butt, head bowed.  
  
"I have taken care of the whole lot. That precious baby and his mother have been banished to my prison, along with quite a few others, and so has Yubaba's sister, that phantom No-Face, and all of their precious little animals. Your parents are with them, unconscious, pigs."  
  
"PIGS?!?"  
  
"Shut up, girl!"  
  
Another hit to the cheek, her other one this time, and as her head snapped to the side once more, she tasted the coppery liquid of blood on her tongue.  
  
"Where's Haku?" she persisted quietly after a moment. "what have you done with him?"  
  
"That damn river spirit is off hiding here somewhere. You are going to help find him, and other things too."  
  
Slowly, she looked up. "Who are you?"  
  
He had almost-shoulder-length black hair, and strikingly green serpentine eyes set in a pale face. That was all she saw, before his fist loomed out of nowhere and she was thrown into blackness.  
  
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When Chihiro woke up yet again, she was on a bed on the floor, once again dressed in those pink pant-things and the dark blue leotard. Her shoulder and neck had to be bruised, but otherwise they were feeling better, along with the rest of her body. Sore. That's all she was. Just sore. Tears began to track their way down her cheeks.  
  
"Sen? Are you awake?"  
  
She opened her eyes. There was Rin standing above her.  
  
"Rin... why am I back here? My parents and I escaped!"  
  
"what are you talking about, Sen? You just got here! Must have been a dream." She shook her head, still crouching over her. "what with you passing out last night just like that, I've been really worried. Do you know what it's been like guarding you from all those frogs that want you dead? I find it sad that Humans are so unloved." She shrugged. "your problem, not mine. Come on, you must be hungry." She stood up and looked down at Chihiro expectantly.  
  
"But we escaped. I know it wasn't a dream. THIS is a dream!"  
  
"Okay Sen, now you're starting to scare me." Rin frowned. "oh, alright, fine; I'll bring you breakfast in bed."  
  
Rin left, closing (and locking) the door behind her.  
  
Chihiro stared after her in disbelief before quickly jumping to her feet and pounding on the door. "Rin!" she shouted. "Rin, let me out! Let me OUT! This is just a dream!" no. it was a nightmare. And it still hadn't ended. It had started when her parents had announced they were moving away, and it still hadn't ended.  
  
"WAKE UP, CHIHIRO!" she screamed, scrambling backwards from the door, bowing and clutching her head. She tripped and fell out the open door outside onto the deck. Moving unmajestically, Chihiro ran to the edge and leaned over it, staring over the "sea".  
  
"MOOOOOOOOOOM!! DAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYY! HAKUUUUUUUU!!"  
  
She waited for a moment. There was a pounding on the door inside and a shout of "shut up!" accompanying the gentle lapping of the waves against the wall edge. Nothing more. No other answers.  
  
"What's happening? Where are you?"  
  
Again, no answer.  
  
Chihiro sank to her knees, forehead against the railing. "I escaped," she whispered, tears squeezing from her tightly shut eyes. "I escaped..."  
  
"Sen? What's wrong? Why were you shouting earlier?" Rin walked up behind her and sat down as well, offering a dumpling and bowl of rice.  
  
"I don't feel good." Chihiro hissed through clenched teeth, not opening her eyes.  
  
"again? Well, you're probably just hungry. Eat."  
  
She opened her eyes completely and waited for her blurred vision to clear after the largest tears had fallen, to stare spitefully at the food. Finally, she reached out and ate it.  
  
Rin watched her sympathetically. The poor girl must have hit her head at some point, or taken up this contract a bit too hard. She'd just been about to give her the shirt that would fit, then boom! Sen had groaned and passed out, looking for all she was worth about to die from grief.  
  
Maybe Haku had done something to her. Or The Boss. Or one of the frogs, little toads, they were. Or all of them. Yes, that was it - Sen was taking their reaction to her a bit too emotionally.  
  
"Ready to work, Sen?"  
  
Chihiro ignored Rin's first remark and examined her hands for a bit before wiping her face defiantly and looking up as unemotionally as possible. "Where's Haku?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Haku! HAKU! You know, Master Haku? Where is he?"  
  
"how should I know? C'mon Sen, if we don't get going we'll be in really big trouble."  
  
Chihiro stood and lifted her chin. "I'm not doing anything until I find him."  
  
Rin gave an exasperated sigh. Why was she so interested in that little fugitive? "Fine Sen, I'll help you look for him tonight. Can we please go now?"  
  
Chihiro hesitated a moment. Then she dropped her head and gave a small nod.  
  
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A/N: okay, that chapter was short. I'm really sorry about that. Plot beginning to thicken! I'll put a more Haku perspective in next. I'll try to, I really will! 


	3. The Shadows

A/N: I must update sooner! Bad KKGirl for updating so slow! Lol, I love my readers! You guys are so so so nice to me! wow.  
  
Disclaimer: is it really necessary to put one of these in every chapter? Yes it is! I don't own.  
  
Chapter Started: 4/23/03  
Chapter Finished: 4/23/03  
  
Third Person POV, Haku  
  
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He watched her run, leave. Go away. Forever. He knew that she wanted to look back badly, but didn't. good girl, he thought silently. He could sense, too, her eyes searching through The Tunnel. He felt her life force until it was out of easy reach.  
  
Then he turned and headed back into the city, to confront Yubaba.  
  
She wasn't happy.  
  
And she wouldn't release him from her apprenticeship. Even almost had another slug down his throat - except it threw it right back into her face.  
  
So they compromised.  
  
He was still under her rule, still Master Haku, and still did her little chores.  
  
She couldn't control him; everything he did, said, chose, was by his own free will.  
  
And just like that - an hour, maybe, it had taken over. Crept in a little after Chihiro had come, and lay dormant. It erupted while he and Yubaba were busy compromising, and now the two of them - along with every other thing there - watched it as it watched them.  
  
Silence.  
  
"State your name and what you want here!" Yubaba called at last.  
  
It was just shadows, and the physical form that they created was menecing and silent. Everybody knew it was dangerous.  
  
"Sen," it - he - hissed. "and Haku. This place also, these are my prices in return for your lives."  
  
"everybody gaped."  
  
"Sen left," Rin called out. "and we're not about to give you this place!"  
  
it laughed, and everybody lapsed into silence. "What would you do if you had these three things?" he called out. It focused its chilling gaze on Haku.  
  
"My reasons are my own," It replied at last. "will you meet my demands?"  
  
"NO!" Yubaba shouted, and lifted an arm, but she was gone.  
  
There were gasps and screams, and suddenly there was mass chaos. Other shadows - in their untouchable yet physical forms - skittered among all while the Big One went for Haku.  
  
He was swift to transform and get the heck out of there, knowing It would follow.  
  
It did.  
  
But Haku managed to lose It by diving into the forest at Swamp Bottom and turning back to his original form.  
  
Then it began to rain.  
  
Great, pounding drops, with thunder and lightning as well.  
  
And Haku knew that Chihiro had been transported back into the Spirit World.  
  
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A/N: wow, I did this one in a matter of seconds! And I'm sorry that it turn out so good - I know that this chappy wasn't the best. But the next one will be better! It will, it will, it will! 


	4. EmotionlessBlood

A/N: lol, I must be possessed. Upload one chapter, start/finish/upload another, and now I'm starting yet another on the same day! Oh, that's low. I really should be doing something productive - like homework. But NOOOOOO, my muses MUST have me type type type! And, okay, it's not like I mind the idea very much, either. :D heh  
  
Disclaimer: you know, I'm getting really sick of putting these in. I own my plot and my evil bad guys - so don't gotrying to sue or nothin, kk? KK??? Good.  
  
Chapter Started: 4/23/03  
Chapter Finished: 4/23/03  
  
Third Person POV, Chihiro, that night of the first chapter  
  
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"Where do you think he is?" Chihiro asked after searching the pigpens thoroughly with Rin. "he isn't anywhere! There aren't even any pigs here!"  
  
Rin sat down boredly and sighed. "Why are you so obsessed over him, eh, Sen? He's probably on another mission for The Boss."  
  
Chihiro crouched down and rested the side of her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. "Who's 'The Boss'?" she asked.  
  
Rin knocked Chihiro on the head.  
  
"Hello! Anybody in there? Geeze, you must have hit your head. Really hard. Sen, you know, the guy you just made a deal with? Duh!" she sighed. "he's got every woman after him - though I think he may have taken a special liking to you. And Haku has always been his favorite."  
  
"You mean that shadow guy with green eyes and black hair?"  
  
"Sen? Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
Rin reached over and laid a hand to her forehead. "you don't have a fever... either way, just leave Haku. He'll be back, and then you'll realize what a stuck-up jerk he is."  
  
"He is not!" Chihiro jumped to her feet. "Haku is my friend! And I'M going to find him!" that said, she spun around and ran out top speed.  
  
Rin gave no effort to persue her.  
  
Chihiro, meanwhile, headed to the boiler room, where she found a bit more peace in watching the dustball things go back and forth with their loads of coals. She examined the boiler man closely.  
  
"Do you remember anything?" she asked, more to herself. Immediately she clapped a hand to her mouth as he paused in his work to look at her.  
  
"Ah, Sen. You're here because HE brought you back, aren't you." He went back to work, reaching over with two long arms to lift her easily onto his side.  
  
"You remember? Oh, everybody's been acting so weird! Do you know what's gone on? What's happened?"  
  
he took a sip of water. "Aye, Human. After you left, Master Haku and Yubaba got in a little, ah, argument - and while they were busy, It took over. Just like that. Said if we gave Him this place, you, and Master Haku then He would spare our lives. Of course Yubaba refused, and so It banished her to who-knows-where. His minions went about, and everything they touched or looked in the eye were brainwashed, just like that. They believe that He is The Boss here, and that He's been running this bathhouse ever since they each came to be."  
  
"Oh. Wow." Chihiro whispered, taking off her shoes and socks to sit cross- legged. "Where is Haku?"  
  
"He took off, and It followed him. Must have lost him, though, because He came back. I, among a few others, was not touched or looked at by any of his little army-members, so you'd best stay here for a bit. They're all coming down here in a little bit to discuss our little, eh, problem. One is out looking for You, but seeing as you are already here, he won't have to worry about that."  
  
And so Chihiro and Kamajii waited in silence, until the tokens stopped coming and he stopped mixing the waters.  
  
Then three others came in, one at a time; the little frog, Aogaeru was his name? All of the male workers were that name, of course. A Yuna that Chihiro had never seen before, probably. She had the common black hair in a high, delicatley made bun and two dots on her forehead, like all slug spirits and bathhouse ladies - glared heatedly at Chihiro. To Chihiro's delight, the little Yu-bird that Zeniiba had turned into the fly and back again - he rested on Chihiro's shoulder and cawed happily, importantly. And last, but not least, was the black-bearded man, what was his name? Chihiyaku? Close enough.  
  
"All here and accounted for?" asked Kamajii. "good. I am certain you are all aware of Sen, here, and her predicament. Shall we begin our meeting?"  
  
"Caw!" said the little Yu-bird.  
  
"let's give her to Him and be done with it, I say!" the Yuna said hotly. "she caused this mess and got Master Haku caught up in it too. Though he's probably been Yubaba's henchmen all along, so no complaint anywhere."  
  
"Ah, but you forget He wishes to have this place, Aburaya, as well." Put in the little frog, the Aogaeru.  
  
"so? He already has it!"  
  
"do you not think that He already knows Sen is here?" put in Chihiyaku. "what do you say, Human? Have you met Him?"  
  
they all looked at Chihiro. "yes," she whispered.  
  
"Alright, then," Yuna said. "then we give him Master Haku and everything will be fine and go back to normal."  
  
"not that easy!" Kamajii interrupted. "unlike the lot of you, I have actually thought this through; and we need to know Sen's side of the story. She may know more then you think."  
  
Again, they all looked at Chihiro. She ducked her head. "my parents and I were driving away, it started to rain and fog, there were crashes, pain, some blood, glass," she would always remember the glass. "I woke up in the water, on those train tracks with my wrists tied above my head. The frog- dude came and dragged me to a man with black hair and green narrow eyes." She hesitated a second. "he told the frog to leave, then told me that I should keep quiet and would help him find Haku. He told me that Yubaba and Bou (the baby) and my parents and the others were all banished, then he hit me and I woke up in Rin's room." Another pause. "he cut my ropes," Chihiro said helpfully, holding out her still raw wrists as evidence.  
  
"well, there goes your plan down the toilet!" said Chibi-Aogaeru, as Chihiro mentally called him. T. Y. (standing for The Yuna) huffed and hunched up her shoulders.  
  
"No arguing, please," Chihiyaku put in. "let's think this out rationally. What else was it you thought, Kamajii?"  
  
"Hmm, well, it's more of a few questions, really. What is He going to do with Haku and Sen, should he have both? You can bet it isn't good."  
  
"Then we find out why He wants them and go from there!"  
  
"Caw!"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"How do we do that?" everybody stared at Chihiro.  
  
"That's where you come in, my dear," T. Y. said sweetly. "that's your job."  
  
"It most certainly is not!" Kamajii snapped in.  
  
"Why? T. Y. asked. "He obviously wants her and Master Haku alive, so we've nothing to worry over."  
  
"And should He get information about *us* from Sen, what then? We won't exist! And pretty soon, neither will Aburaya once He gets a better hold on it."  
  
"It's a chance we'll have to take!"  
  
"Well, I agree with Kamajii. It's too dangerous! For all of us!"  
  
and of course a debate started. Or, a fight, really. Chihiro ended it by standing up after a moment of thought. "I am going," she said, then raised her voice to a shout. "I AM GOING," they all quieted and looked at her to finish. "to find out where Haku is. He probably knows where Haku is, and I'll find out whatever else I can while I'm up there."  
  
With that, Chihiro spun on her heel then dropped to her hands and knees, to crawl out the little porthole. She was more than a little scared; the memories of what kind of pain he had inflicted on her were still vivid, and she was still a little sore. Even her neck and shoulder, though they were much better.  
  
"Sen, don't!" Kamajii warned, but she slammed the little door closed and made her way to an elevator. From there she went up to where the two large double doors went to Yubaba's office, or whatever.  
  
And, expected or no, the doors opened as she walked to them, and slammed behind her after she walked through them.  
  
She heard voices.  
  
They last pair of doors did not open, so she stopped and listened.  
  
"Eaves-droppers are not welcome here." Said the familiar cold voice, and both doors were thrown open. Backwards. Chihiro barely jumped out of the way in time from being smacked by one.  
  
"I know why you've come; hurry on inside, I'm not going to stand here all night."  
  
Chihiro scurried inside, and squeaked at the sight she saw.  
  
Blood. Everywhere. It looked as though it were splashed, all over the carpet, splashed carelessly on the walls, and some dripping down from the ceiling. The stench made Chihiro stumble, and she choked back a mouthful of bile.  
  
"Don't you love the smell, the color, the feel of blood?" asked His voice directly in her ear, and she jumped, lost her balance, and fell right into a puddle of the stuff. She squeaked once more, wanting to clap a hand to her mouth t stop the oncoming flow of the last thing she ate, but was unable to as her palms were covered in it. wet, sticky, oozing...  
  
Her scream hurt even her ears, and there was s urprised shout from across the room, and a movement as though to clap a pair of hands to a pair of ears.  
  
It was the frog-dude.  
  
"Shut up, Human!" He shouted, and picked her up by the shirtfront. However, Chihiro continued to scream, brething in its scent with each breath - struggling hard against Him, and the pink ripped, and she fell back, splashing blood about. She reached out and turned slightly, in an attempt to stand up. But her hand connected with something else - a carcass - and she screamed yet louder, falling face-first into it.  
  
She choked, and managed to push herself up half an inch before vomiting.  
  
Once that was over, Chihiro coughed, and pushed herself weakly up a little bit, somehow getting to her knees, tasting the awful taste of vomitus in her mouth. Abruptly, a hand closed around the back of her throat, fingers wrapping neatly and fully to push into her windpipe, and she was lifted off the ground completely from behind.  
  
"You will have to be punished for that," His voice hissed into her ears. She arched her back slightly by reflex, bending her knees, swallowing to assure herself there was still a link between her lungs and head. She didn't answer his statement, and he held her up like that for a while. Soon, she began to feel lightheaded, and little prickles over her face felt like a foot or an arm falling asleep. Right behind the hinges of her jaw was an aching hurt, though she didn't know why, and slowly she brought her fingers up to curl around His, which were tightening by the second. "Let go," she half whispered, half squeaked, half sobbed. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she didn't even notice until they dripped onto her fingers around His.  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"Beg." He instructed.  
  
"Please," Chihiro hissed through her teeth quietly, in her fading voice. Her temples were throbbing. "I'm b - begging you..."  
  
Thump!  
  
Chihiro hit the floor, in the blood again, but could only focus on forcing herself to breathe. She knew that no damage had been done to her windpipe - or so she thought by gingerly touching it. but she still couldn't breathe. Oh god, it hurts, she thought, rolling over onto her back.  
  
She pressed her middle and index fingers in the hollow of her neck and simply stared at the ceiling, tears rolling unhappily down, a speckle of blood dripping onto her face or body from the ceiling. Her breathing was ragged and irregular, and it still hurt. It was a while before she could even choke out a small sob. All the muscles in her face hurt, and oh, every part of her head hurt.  
  
"Little baby of a brat," His voice snarled. "I wasn't even holding that hard."  
  
Chihiro could not stop a tiny, "Gaki haitei..." to him anyway, and both he and the frog-dude laughed, standing over her.  
  
"Naughty, naughty. If I were you I would not talk back like that." He said with a wicked grin. "now, I would like to get this meeting over with." He paused, examining Chihiro from head to toe. Then, faster than lightning, he reached out and yanked her up by her shoulder, bringing forth a small cry of pain, and once she was on her feet, his hand snapped out and her hair fell around her shoulders. Caked with blood. Not her blood. Where had all the blood come from?  
  
Realization sunk in.  
  
"Hey! Give me that back!" Chihiro made a weak grab for her magic hair binder, but He held it out of reach and right before her very eyes it burst into flame in his hand, and burned to nothing. A rank stench filled the air. Chihiro didn't care.  
  
She felt empty; lost.  
  
"Oh, don't feel so down," he cooed mockingly, and snapped a finger. Another hair band appeared in his hand, jet black and twisted. Horrible looking. He reached towards her, His intent obvious, but Chihiro backed away. He grabbed her hair anyway and put it back in its pony tail with the black rubber-band.  
  
Immediately, Chihiro felt a weight sag her entire body down, and she splashed into the carpet.  
  
"Whose blood is this?" she whispered after a moment, all feeling lost.  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"What do you want with me and Haku?"  
  
again, no reply, though she did get a reaction. He bent down and nicked her chin up roughly. "look at me when I speak to you," he barked. "now; you will use this power I gave you to find Haku."  
  
"Power?" Chihiro repeated dumbly. She felt a sort of trance, dream-like feeling take over her slowly, starting from head and going to toes, causing her to stretch out her fingertips.  
  
"Think of him," His voice sounded so soothing. Commanding. And she felt so happy inside - though sad, angry, and confused at the same time - enough to obey Him. And it was no problem thinking of Haku. That was easy.  
  
"Picture him, as a dragon, riding through the wind and slipping through the water. Remember his touch, his voice. Everything. Really, really hard."  
  
Chihiro did as she was told, rocking from side to side like a drunk. She didn't care.  
  
Suddenly there was a burst of - energy? - that knocked her off of her feet. Once more on the ground, she attempted to lift her head and find out why and how she had gotten there. Her head wouldn't lift. Her eyes blurred, and half closed. Confused, Chihiro tried to ask what He had done to her.  
  
Nonsense, she suddenly thought. He didn't do anything; you just feel to free, and floating, that you don't care. You should. Something is wrong. What's wrong? Chihiro couldn't figure it out.  
  
"Stand up." His voice instructed. She did as she was told. "do you see a light?" he held her chin up and pointed out the deck/balcony/window. Yes, she saw a small blurred bright thing. It was light. Was it? close enough.  
  
She tried to grin (like an idiot) but that also proved impossible, so she settled for a slurred, "yes."  
  
"Focus on it. and it only."  
  
Abruptly, the beam of light came into sharp focus. Everything else faded. Chihiro found herself marveling at its exquisite beauty, and inwardly melting in her wonderful feelings of light bouncy ness. She was flying - flying! Following the beam of light, under His careful instruction. Her body still felt too heavy to lift, but this floating, it was wonderful!  
  
After what seemed like forever in her floating heaven, Chihiro was instructed to clean herself, rinse out her mouth, brush her teeth, etcetera, and like a good girl, she did it. mentally.  
  
She had no idea that it was happening physically, too.  
  
"Go to sleep."  
  
"Yes." Yes. That was pretty much the only thing she'd said all evening - yes. How dumb.  
  
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"Sen. Tell our guest how much we are in love."  
  
What? She must have fallen asleep. Had He been talking to somebody? Some of her floaty feeling subsided. "are in love," she slurred obediently.  
  
"tell him how much."  
  
"very much."  
  
"are you my good girl?"  
  
"yes."  
  
"do you do as I say?"  
  
"yes."  
  
"do you like these feelings?"  
  
"Yes." Hella yeah!  
  
"open your eyes."  
  
Her eyes had been closed? Shoot! Chihiro opened them, and saw that she had been standing - WAS standing - with her head down. Mumbling mindlessly out whatever she was told to. For a moment she inwardly panicked, for not knowing what she was doing or saying. For that one moment, Her wonderful floaty feelings vanished for a moment, and cold, hard truth set in. memory, however, was not that easy to obtain. She had led them somewhere...? Her head snapped up, showing the bruises on her neck, among other things.  
  
She recognized the boy tied in front of her, vaguely. He was chained to a cold, stone wall. It was rather dark. His wrists were bound above his head, and he was shirtless, pale, and bloody.  
  
But floaty feelings of joy encased her once again, just like that, and her head snapped down again with her sagging body. They were talking - where had the frog-dude gone? The boy and He were talking. He sounded cool, calm, and collected, and rested a hand around her shoulders. The boy's voice sounded disbelieving, angry, sad, worried. The words blended and blurred together, and she felt herself rocking.  
  
With a surprised shout, she rocked a bit too far and fell forward - forward, forward, falling through the cold stone floor, racing head-first through black nothingness, splashing into a large puddle of blood, choking, drowning, Haku's hands fastened around her neck, his face twisting into His, His grip tightening, drowning, choking, couldn't breathe, great weight - sagging, happiness thrown aside to be replaced by nothing ness. Nothingness that was filled with pain, longing, blood, choking, drowning in blood...  
  
Chihiro screamed and buried her hands in her hair, closing her eyes, still screaming. There were voices around her - she didn't care. Her wonderful floaty feeling was being replaced by a terrible emptiness, and though it didn't hurt, it really didn't... anything. No feeling whatsoever.  
  
She had to stop it. any feeling, any emotion, any physical, anything, she had to feel something! Pain. It was a feeling! Tangling her fingers, Chihiro yanked. Pulled. Screamed. Anything, everything!  
  
His cold fingers over her face. No. No! NO!  
  
"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! !!!"  
  
With a strength unknown, Chihiro found a feeling, stronger than pain. Hate. Anger. She focused on it, grabbed it, embraced it, felt it, and ripped her fingers out of her hair to lash out at Him, taking half her pony tail and rubber hand with her. She opened her eyes - forced them open - and felt another feeling. Satisfaction. Satisfaction at the look on His face as she made successful lines of red across his face; cheeks, nose, brow.  
  
Satisfaction felt better than pain or hatred and anger put together.  
  
However, pain and worry were quick to invade her as He grasped her wrists in one hand and pumelled her with the other.  
  
Chihiro could take it. She had left her marks. Everybody would see them - somehow she knew that they wouldn't heal anytime fast. The heavy weight over her body seemed to be lifted, and though her sluggishness, her floaty happy feeling was gone, she still found herself smiling grimly through it all.  
  
And He was off of her. Her wrists were ripped from his grip, and he was knocked temporarily away. Chihiro focused her eyes on Haku above her, his white dragon form far more menecing than his other form, and she offered him her smile - of Sataifaction of leabing marks across His face.  
  
Then it all went black.  
  
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A/N: sorry, 'nother short chapter! And I understand that this one may have been a bit confusing, so... feel free to ask questions. :D geeze. Three chapters in one night. Go me! 


	5. Raidon

A/N: Sheesh. I'm pooped. Post three chapters in one night and start on the fourth. What a work-a-holic. oh, and before I forget, which I already forgot, but I said I'd say when I changed stuff as they came up. Should have put this in the Prologue, heh; instead of moving to that town right near the forest, I'm sending Chihiro and Co. to the coast. KK? Sorry 'bout that! And I am aware that the lot of ya are confused - like I said, any questions, ask. Or it could have been my grammar. I'm really not a grammar- atic. Lol, I'd better go watch the movie in subtitles - I got the two DVD set! Wee! Go me! *congratulates self* AND, what, four chapters with sixteen reviews? Woo-hoo! In my other fics I've got, like, seven chapters with only seventeen reviews (ah, my trusty, loyal fans *sobs*) and this has to be, like, a record! Wow! *passes out dragon-shaped white-chocolates* I address(ed) the bad evil guy (who's name shall be revealed) as Him, His, etc., with a capital 'H' kk?  
  
Disclaimer: don't own. I hate disclaimers - they make me all depressed, especially if I'm typing before school. .~_~.  
  
Chapter Started: 4/23/03  
Chapter Finished: 4/24/03  
Chapter Posted: 4/25/03  
  
Third Person POV, when Chihiro wakes up  
  
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Chihiro opened her eyes and groaned. she could hardly tell she had opened them, it was so dark.  
  
"Chihiro?" asked a soft voice. A warm hand brushed against my cheek and trailed down my neck.  
  
"Haku?" she whispered, voice raspy.  
  
Then it hit her. Panic.  
  
No emotions. she couldn't feel a thing except the coldness of the stone floor beneath her back. Nothing else. No pain, anger, hatred, love, Satisfaction, joy, sadness, nothing!  
  
"I can't feel anything!" she shrieked in panic, jumping to her feet. She knew that she was loosing blood from her head, and should feel dizzy. but didn't.  
  
"Ssh, it's okay Chihiro. You've temporarily lost your emotions and feeling, that's all. It'll come back." A soothing hand gently eased her back to a sitting position, leaning against the wall. Cold and stone.  
  
"You haven't lost all of your feeling," Haku went on softly. "you can still feel fear, I think, panic. Anxiety can't really be classified as an emotion here. You can tell hot from cold, right? And you can tell good from bad, black from white. The rest will come back."  
  
"then why is it so dark?"  
  
"it's night time."  
  
"what happened?"  
  
He sighed, long and slow. Chihiro thought for a moment that he may disappear. And he was right - she can still feel anxiety. she felt it right there when she thought that, and tackled his arm, praying to god almighty that she would never let go.  
  
"As far as I'm concerned, you were put under a binding spell. A weak one, at that. Now I think it's been taken off of you, though lingering magic is what blocks your major emotions, and this place is filled with the stuff. Magic. I can't even transform, let alone jog from one end to the other. We're in dungeons of some sort, though I don't know where." He lapsed into silence.  
  
"your neck is hurt."  
  
"what?"  
  
"your neck," he responded, brushing where His fingers had pushed the hardest. "what happened?"  
  
"I suppose I just pissed It off. I'm okay."  
  
"No you aren't."  
  
"I'm not?"  
  
Haku shifted, quickly before Chihiro could respond, and hit her lightly on the back. She choked and coughed, feeling something warm pool into and out of her mouth.  
  
Blood.  
  
It had to be. She gasped and tried to spit all of it out, though that proved to be a little bit difficult. It just always was there.  
  
"You are *not* perfectly fine. What did he do?"  
  
"lifted me up - how do I stop it? it won't stop!"  
  
"you're bleeding internally. It should stop soon while you're with me or another spirit with my sort of magic. Healing spell."  
  
"it tastes bad!"  
  
"I know."  
  
They waited in darkness for a while. "I want my feeling back," Chihiro whispered, starting to cry. "I know my parents and I escaped, and we just got pulled right back! It's not fair!"  
  
"nothing is fair, Chihiro, or free. There's always a price and a consequence. It's okay, it's already coming back." He put a comforting arm around her, and the night was spent like this.  
  
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It walked swiftly through the passageways, anger souring through every pore, drenching (and destroying) everything it touched. Those danm kids. See what they'd done?  
  
He was well aware of the few "untouched" under now His rule, but they proved no problem. None could do anything to stop him, or help the others.  
  
What losers.  
  
Then those sorceresses and those two humans were posing a problem, where they were. Figured out who He was after. And why. Heh. Couldn't do anything physically about it, but what if they figured out they could seep into both brats' dreams? The only way to stop them then would be to kill them. And if he did that, Haku would know - know - and would tell Sen. Then He'd be ruined. No, He needed hostages.  
  
There were too many loopholes in His plan. He needed to start acting it out now.  
  
He stopped walking at a large metal door. There was a tiny window in the next room, which was made of cold stone, and chains. It held Sen and Haku.  
  
He opened it.  
  
As light flooded the chamber, Chihiro glanced up quickly. It was Him. Haku only pulled her back slightly to a secure position against his chest, and purposefully turned his head so that the light would glint off of his eyes.  
  
There were trails of blood down Sen's chin, front, and on the floor. She hadn't lost much, thanks to his magic, but somehow Haku had managed to slip through his strings of power and bring in a little healing power. Her inner wounds would heal soon enough. Ah, she was indeed very beatiful. They both were.  
  
"Hello, you two. You wanted to know why I wanted you?"  
  
They didn't answer - tough crowd? The only reaction He got was a slight narrowing of Haku's eyes.  
  
He had to admit, that silly river spirit could look rather... interesting, at times. So could Sen, should she try hard enough.  
  
"Follow me, then. And don't try using your powers, they won't work." His face twisted into a grin. "bvy the time I'm through with you, both of you will be begging for death."  
  
Again, no reaction. No, no. Sen was blinking back tears, bringing one hand to her mouth, making a small noise in the back of her throat.  
  
Ah. So she was beginning to feel pain.  
  
Excellent progress. She had even stopped bleeding from her neck and lungs inside. Not bad, really.  
  
And Haku had gotten his clothes back. Go him.  
  
After a while, Sen finally let out a small sob, and Haku helped her stand up. He supported her as the two walked slowly forward to Him, and His face twisted into yet a broader smirk. "Follow me," He repeated. He ditinctly heard Haku mumble a rather insulting insult under his breath, but chose to ignore it. He would punish Haku later.  
  
He led them down halls, through corridors; up stairs, and own them; in doors and out; everywhere, until they finally came outside. In the distance, far, far away, the lights for the Bathhouse twinkled. The moon hung low in the star-less sky.  
  
"This way." He commanded, turning to where a boat waited. They boarded, and, as Haku had expected, He waved His hand to numb Chihiro's pain and quiet her whimpers. Haku held her closer.  
  
"I am going to take you to my castle. It is a very small island aboveground, waterlevel. But underneath are twisting door-less passageways, all dark. To the left of those are rooms; that is where we will discuss your... conditions."  
  
Chihiro leaned against Haku, neither of them saying anything. She didn't want to talk to Him, whatever His name was, and Haku had said not to anyway. Besides, she could feel pain and soreness now - all over. Sore, sore, sore, a slight numbing at her neck chest and mouth but still sore, sore, sore. Panic - anxiety - and pain, sadness, hot and cold, good and bad. What next? Chihiro hoped it would be happiness, or joy. She wanted to feel those most, especially right now.  
  
Nope. It was Hope.  
  
A long while passed. She was just beginning to drowse, but there was a small thump, and He stood up. "Follow me."  
  
Was that all He could say?  
  
Haku helped her to stand, and the two silently followed Him onto a tiny island - probably nine feet long/wide at max. they went through a small metal door into the ground and went down small, narrow stairs with just torches (the door slammed shut behind them). Then they came to level ground at a fork. One went right, and faded instantly into darkness. The other went right, and had torches dotting the way every now and then.  
  
They went left.  
  
Doors were along the walls, and after an even longer while they stopped at the very end and went into a larger door. It was a large, elaborately decorated room, with a desk and chairs at the other end, lit by a chandelier. They sat at the chairs, and Chihiro breathed a small sigh of relief.  
  
Relief. Another one.  
  
"Now," He said, but Haku interrupted.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
there was a pause. "You, as my lowly toys, are privileged enough to call me Raidon. If you're smart, then you'll realize it means 'thunder god'. Now, for starters, a bit about myself; you seem interested enough in the subject. I am not a spirit, nor Human, but a god. The Thunder God, to be exact - as you'll have figured out by now. A Human is what I need - and what luck I had when Sen came along. A magic all on her own. I've already had my eye on you, my little river spirit, for quite some time. The Bathhouse was a symbol of money - and subjects are easy enough to control with money." Raidon leaned forward, throwing his dancing shadows to paint themselves on Haku's and Chihiro's faces. "you two are important parts to my grand master plan."  
  
"Then why take my parents and the others?" Chihiro burst out, spitting excess blood in the process. She wavered for a moment, and Haku reached out and steadied her with a hand. Raidon breathed in deeply.  
  
"Hostages are the best way to control one. They are in the end of my Labyrinth, back there. Did you know that I've already marked you two? So whenever you touch, it creates a spark. And each spark ignites my power to a slightly higher level."  
  
Haku and Chihiro periodically leaned away from each other. Raidon laughed, throwing himself back to sit comfortably. "a bit late for that," he said. "you've fueled me enough to bring the two of you here, yes? Alright. Once I've enough power, I can take over the Spirit World and turn it over to my Master."  
  
"WHAT?!?" Haku exploded, jumping to his feet, chair falling with a clatter behind him on the cool, stone floor. "You can't do that! There've been massive amounts of tries - and twice as many failures! By the time you get one third under your rule, the rest will have been alerted and nobody will survive, not a battle like that!"  
  
"Nobody, you say? When I have enough I'll alert my troops, who are all over this world and they will attack. When everything else dies, they will live, and eventually the rest will give up. I am a fairly... fair ruler." Raidon's smile grew as he stood, too.  
  
"And what if Haku and I never touch?" Chihiro challenged, wiping her chin and standing as well. "what then?"  
  
"I'll tie the two of you together naked and lock you up with your friends and family if I must. Now, sit down. My floor must be hard on your poor bare feet."  
  
Both Haku and Chihiro looked down and their feet began to bleed right before their very eyes.  
  
Both swore quietly and sat down, lifting themselves off of the crudely hewn stone. Raidon continued to smile. "don't you find it strange that I've revealed my entire plan to the two of you?" he asked sweetly. "so easily?"  
  
A moment of silence. "Then tell us the catch. Hurry up with it, I won't spend a lifetime here." Haku snapped emotionlessly, face completely neutral and eyes steely.  
  
Raidon laughed. Threw his head back, even.  
  
"Oh, the two of you are bright," he commented dryly. "the "catch" is your own. You two do play a bigger part then what I've just described to you. Yes..."  
  
"there is a way to break the spell you cast on us," Chihiro interrupted. "that gives you power each time we touch. It can be broken. Like the seal."  
  
"My, what a bright little girl you are. Rather quick-tongued for a Human, if I do say so myself. And what do you suppose may brake it? True Love, like that idiot Zaniiba? Ha!"  
  
"Somehow!" Chihiro spoke quietly now. Tears filled her eyes, and she dropped her head.  
  
"It CAN be broken, though," Haku mused aloud. "and from what I've gathered, it'll be an emotion that brakes it. not love, obviously. That provokes it, probably..." he leveled his gaze firmly, impatenatley, with Raidon's. "It's hate." He stated.  
  
How god-awful simple!  
  
But wait. They were finding things out too fast. If Raidon were really oh- so-powerful, and had this perfect plan set up, then why did he just spill his guts? Chihiro furrowed her brow for a moment, then was struck with something as Raidon spoke once more.  
  
"Not bad, Haku-chan. You are indeed the bright little spirit others claim you to be."  
  
Both Chihiro's and Haku's eyes narrowed.  
  
Chihiro had her own reasons. Had that moron just called Haku 'Haku-chan'? What an ***hole!  
  
She jumped to her feet, and in a split second was on her knees on the table, fist closed around the fornt of Raidon's shirt thing.  
  
"Hate??" she shrieked. "HATE?!? I'LL SHOW YOU HATE YOU FRIGGIN LITTLE INOSHISHI!!! BUOTOKO!!! BAKA!!! BAKA YARO!!! ROBA!!! ONI MINIKUI!!!!!" and every other insult that she knew, Chihiro screamed out at Raidon, clutching his shirtfront as though for dear life. When she had finally wailed out the last of her swear words and insults at least twice, she took a few deep breathes and let go of Raidon, slipping back to the ground and picking up her chair. She then sat, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees, burying her face from sight.  
  
When Chihiro had first jumped up, she had actually startled Haku, and he had jumped to his feet as well, then stood off dumbly watching her use the most vulgar of Human words, and then-some that he had never heard of. Now that she seemed calm and drowning in sadness, he slowly turned his gaze to Raidon. Be neutral, Haku told himself firmly, ignoring the burning at the base of his feet.  
  
Raidon looked as though he were struggling not to look perplexed. After a moment, he seemed to come to an inner decision, and slowly stood, walking around the table. Haku froze, and couldn't move no matter what as he watched in horror as Raidon jerked Chihiro to her feet, intensifying the spell he had on the ground so that both Haku's and Chihiro's feet were burned to the point of having no skin left, and he stopped it only when he was rewarded with both Chihiro's and Haku's screams.  
  
Still, he held Chihiro to the ground on her feet, and Haku was unable to move a muscle. Once she could stand on her own, Raidon let go of her now bruised chin (she whimpered) and struck her in the face, stomach, and lower stomach, causing Chihiro to double over and collapse. He brought the spell up again, for a mere fraction of a second, and let it slowly smooth to a light simmer.  
  
Both Haku and Chihiro were sweating, breathing hard. Haku had bit back yells of pain, and instead focused all of his energy on getting to Raidon. Chihiro, however, was bawling at the top of her lungs and squirming like a worm on a hook.  
  
Blood was beginning to thicken on the floor profusely.  
  
"I hope that will learn you a lesson, my sweet Sen-chan." Raidon sneered. He then looked piercingly at Haku. "and I hope that you learned a lesson as well, Haku-chan."  
  
He released the spell.  
  
But what Raidon hadn't expected was Haku's already coiled muscles, and he was unable to stop himself as he tackled Raidon in one fluid motion, swifter then the bat of the eye. Deciding he might as well, Haku let himself feel the satisfaction of planting his fist firmly in Raidon's jaw.  
  
He then jumped to his feet, stumbling slightly and grimacing at the pain, lifted Chihiro up, and bolted.  
  
"GET THEM!!!" Raidon's voice echoed down the halls, and as Haku (literally dragging Chihiro) met the fork at the base of the stairs, frogs and other things began running down to him and her. Thinking fast, he snatched a torch and took off down the right, plunging into the darkness.  
  
Silence immediately closed in around them, and Haku mentally counted as they flew along 'left, left, forward, right, left, right, right, left, forward, down, left, forward, left, right, left...' he never lost track so that they would be able to get out.  
  
Finally, he collapsed and slid a ways, letting go of Chihiro and supporting the almost-gone-out torch.  
  
Both gasped for air.  
  
"Haku," Chihiro whispered after a while. "you're bleeding."  
  
He glanced down at his simmering feet, and blocked off the pain, taking off his white over shirt thing and ripping it into four pieces. He tied one around each foot, then looked at Chihiro from where the two were sitting on the ground. "So are you." He stated calmly, wrapping the other two strips around her feet. He didn't mind just going around in his blue under shirt.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Chihiro whispered, and Haku knew that she was trying to block out the pain. It was impossible. Her voice was badly strained, and she was perspiring heavily; tears continued to leak down her face. Haku felt a stab of guilt, for not protecting her, and pushed her bangs away, wiping the tears and sweat away from her face.  
  
"We rest." He stated shortly, falling easily into Neutral Mode. Haku didn't know how much his cold voice startled and scared Chihiro, and she swallowed. The ever-lasting taste of blood didn't seem to phase her physically anymore.  
  
And, somehow, shockingly, amazingly, Chihiro managed to fall into a restless sleep; with nightmares, and horror. But sleep, and rest all the same. Haku kept careful watch over her in their narrow hallway (these ways were maybe seven feet up and five feet wide) while concentrating on finding a broken thread in Raidon's tapestry of magic, for a healing - or a light spell, at the least.  
  
After a while, when the silence pressing against his still thumping eardrums, Haku managed to get a weak spell in fire. And not a moment too soon: the torch had gone out an hour ago. Scared if he should lose the tiny, flickering flame, he re-lit the torch, and awkwardly managed to get Chihiro still sleeping on his back and hold the torch. He started off at a brisk pace, counting his way back. Maybe Raidon had let his guard down by now?  
  
Heh. Not likely. Slim to none odds, that.  
  
And his feet still hurt - though he could block out the pain mentally for a while, it was straining; and holding Chihiro while walking with a torch, counting his way back to certain doom, didn't help Haku at all.  
  
He was even more weary from the run before.  
  
After a while, Haku closed his eyes and stopped, crouching to his knees to give his feet a break and listen to Chihiro's rhythmic breathing, though interrupted by a whimper every so often. Again, from Raidon's blows, she was bleeding by the mouth, but not very much. A thin trail leaked down and dripped onto the crudely made stone floor. He took a deep breath, got back to his feet, and started off again.  
  
After a while, he was walking slowly, head bowed. Something was wrong. He was too tired. They had to be close, now, though. Another left, up a small ramp curved to the right, through a small opening in the wall on the left and a right. Then they'd be able to meet Raidon and his personal guard head on.  
  
Finally, close to an hour later, Haku grudgingly admitted defeat and carefully put the newly un lit torch on the dark stone floor, Leaning Chihiro against the wall. He took his small sash and tied her hair back, then leaned down and waited for a bit.  
  
He couldn't call any more magic to himself, not like this. Nor could he carry Chihiro any longer, either. Haku highly doubted if there was anything left but bone on his feet; raw muscle, maybe.  
  
He couldn't stop the pain. He could only slightly numb it now, and the ache was constant.  
  
Eventually, his wall crumbled, and he fell into a darkness of his own.  
  
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"Haku?" Chihiro asked, jerking awake to be greeted by darkness, pain, and fear. Where was Haku? She couldn't see anything, it was pitch black. "Haku?" she repeated in a slightly louder voice. "Haku? Haku! Haku, where are you? Haku!" her voice echoed and bounced, mocking her. Frantically, Chihiro began to feel along the wall, ground, everywhere, crawling on her stomach in case she missed something. She thought she could hear his light breathing, somewhere. It sounded strained. "Haku! Hold on, Haku, I'm coming!" she jerked painfully to her feet, spitting blood (she was used to the taste by now - bleagh) and running clumsily along.  
  
All she could focus on was her soreness, the snarling pain that intensified with each step in her feet, and her voice frantically calling for Haku.  
  
She didn't know how long she wandered into the darkness, searching for her lost protector. Where was he? She cried out his name every now and then as she came to a bend, and even fell through what seemed to be a hole in the floor. She was just getting lost. "Where are you, Haku!" she cried, defeated, falling to her knees. "HAKU!"  
  
"Chihiro! Chihiro, where are you?"  
  
she froze, forced her breathing to quiet down, listening to make sure she had heard right. Was that Haku's voice?  
  
"Chihiro! Chihiro, answer me, please!" he sounded far away, somewhere in front of her. "Haku!" she cried, jumping to her feet again. "Haku, it's me, Chihiro! Where are you? I'm coming! You're right in front of me!"  
  
"Chihiro? No, don't! don't move, I think I'm behind you!"  
  
Chihiro was about to skid to a stop, but stumbled over something furry in the dark and fell with a splash into shockingly cold water. "WATER! She shrieked. "There's WATER in here!"  
  
"Stay out of it! OUT!"  
  
Chihiro didn't hear the first part, but she did catch 'out', and stumbled to the other side, liking the soothing feeling on her body the water left.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Haku?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"HAKU?"  
  
she waited a moment, couldn't stand it any longer, and burst into tears. She had plenty of good reasons. First they move away, then they get lost in some Spirit World, she spends who-knows-how-long there saving her parents, they FINALLY escape only to be thrown into a car crash and jerked right back here! Not only having to repeat the process over again, but with harder conditions, nobody remembering her, and some guy called Raidon. Thunder God. Geeze, how stupid. Like she cared. She had been beaten numerous times, was constantly always sore, her feet were now bleeding again (she didn't think if it was anything in the water) and she had lost Haku, her only way of living in this place. she had lost a lot of blood - a lot, by now. Chihiro figured she should be dead by now, but NO, she was still alive and suffering, still losing blood and not even passing out.  
  
But Chihiro didn't stop to ponder this mystery as she was too caught up in crying and feeling sorry for herself. Eventually, she curled into a little ball and fell asleep.  
  
Haku, on the other hand, was searching frantically for her and silently cursing himself for letting her out of his sight. Leave it to Chihiro. She was going through a lot, and though he knew that he would be able to handle it, Humans were extremely fragile. Especially human girls.  
  
Once the torch was lit again (this took a lot of adrenaline, to break through Raidon's threads with force) it turned out that Chihiro had left a trail. Small droplets of blood here and there, and after following them at a sprint, he heard her voice.  
  
They were going further and further in - Chihiro could have at least gone the other way!  
  
Then she had to jump in to a pool of most-likely-cursed-water. This was just too stressing. He doubted she would heed his warning and get out. It probably felt soothing, or something like that.  
  
Then everything crashed. Mentally, of course; Haku stopped at a dead end, the wall looming up in front of him mockingly. He looked down then up again, backtracked, and examined the droplets more closely, following them slowly-er. This was going to take too long.  
  
"Chihiro! Chihiro, can you hear me?"  
  
Apparently not.  
  
He began to run again, and skidded to a halt suddenly. "I'M GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES!" it just felt better to vent his frustration out in a yell. Pummeling the walls into nothing wasn't an option.  
  
No. he had to stay calm. This wasn't like him......... wait a second! Raidon had just spilled the beans to them just like that, then pointed out they should wonder why; he had drugged Chihiro under a binding spell (the whole love thing hadn't really hurt Haku, though he'd done a very nice job... acting) and brought the two of them together, locked ina chamber for the night - everything he did could be assimilated with his "plan."  
  
He had done something else. He was planning something other then what he had just told them a while ago. Raidon had casted another spell on both he and Chihiro.. Haku wasn't himself - that was strange. Was Chihiro noticing things like this, too?  
  
There was always a bright side; if Raidon had been telling the truth about "marking" them, then he wasn't getting any more powerful.  
  
Comforting.  
  
Haku sat down, leaning his back against the wall. He needed to focus on finding Chihiro, then from there they could focus on... finding Yubaba. That was it! Yubaba and the others were here, in the back of his Labyrinth, he had said. Haku prayed it wasn't another lie (should everything he had said be a lie) and got up again.  
  
If this was so, then this place would be shifting, changing a lot. With bated breath, he reached out to touch the offending wall.  
  
It disappeared.  
  
Now extremely confused but mind set, Haku set off again, following the trail slower and more thoroughly.  
  
The droplets would probably disappear at some point, because they left a marking trail.  
  
But Haku found Chihiro a short while later, on the other side of a small lake or whatever. He jumped halfway across, and splashed the rest of the way, keeping the torch above water level.  
  
She was sleeping.  
  
Mind set, Haku dragged her a ways from the water, then sat and watched her, deciding to move where he could feel or hear her when the torch went out.  
  
This was all too strange. Maybe Raidon wanted to confuse them? He'd certainly done a good job on that. Haku massaged his temples. This wasn't turning out to be the best of his days.  
  
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A/N: okay, that chapter was slightly longer. Lol, I was halfway through rereading it and now I'M confused! I'll need to change a few things to take care of this. ^_^ but I do know what's happening, and what's going to happen, so don't worry! I'll be changing some stuff so that you might be able to understand it better. ^_^0 sorry! That's why this took so long to post. The rest of the updates will just be streaming in once I'm all organized and actually sorted out - once more, sorry sorry sorry about that! And I think that I'll be going over my original five-thirteen chapters stuff, though I sped things up a lot b/c I didn't want to go all the way to fifty. I draw the line at fifty chapters. BTW, did I mention I'm reeeeeeaaaaaaallllllyyyyyyyy sorry yet? And I've a few things that'll change the outcome of this fic: first of all, how do the lot of you feel about slash? It's one-sided, ya? And what do you think - should I add Horror into my genre? By the time I'm through with this, there'll certainly be plenty of gore, but I don't know if it's enough to, you know, he "Horror- ific" if ya know what I mean.  
  
Too bad there isn't a rating right between PG13 and R.  
  
Anyhow. 


	6. Kanaye

A/N: HOLY PEACHES, LOOKIT ALL MY REVIEWS!!!!!!! *faints*  
  
Disclaimer: here; I'm going to save myself some effort and give your brain a stretch. HIGHLIGHT the word 'disclaimer' and press the 'D' key. What happens? When you find out, ask yourself why I'm putting a "DISCLAIMER" in my FAN fiction. Go on, a little thought never hurt anyone! Trying to figure out my homework might give you so mental problems, but this won't hurt!  
  
Oh, and I just watched the movie three more times! My favorite lines are "No. they ate too much" from Haku - I like the way he said 'no',  
  
"you said you wanted an assistant" from Haku, I like his tone of voice and that look on his face. KAWAII!  
  
"he is with your sister" again from Haku, his tone of voice is PERFECT! *waves large flags that say 'KAWAII' in seven different languages*  
  
And that part where Chihiro is eating and crying with her mouth open and everything. That scene is so sweet, I love it a lot!  
  
Chapter Started: 4/26/03  
  
Chapter Finished: 4/30/03  
  
I'm still trying to figure out how to revise my other chapters. I read the car crash scene to my brother (intending to read everything so far, but like I said, we never go past the car crash scene) and he wanted to know what kind of position Chihiro was in, why an airbag wasn't mentioned for Chihiro's mother, etc., etc., and literally just rubbed salt and lemon juice on my paper cut. So now I've got other things to worry about too - what next, my grammar? Did I do King Brat the right way?  
  
Third Person POV (I'll have to change that at some point) Chihiro, the next day.  
  
Or, I mean, when Chihiro wakes up. Again. And Haku is asleep. Again. *yawns* hey, can anybody out there say déjà-vu?  
  
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Chihiro jerked awake once more. She sat up straight like a bullet and looked around in the dark quickly, waiting impatiently for her memories to return. That was right. She jumped to her feet. "Haku?" she called. She took a step forward and tripped over something. Or, more accurately, someone. She jerked and tensed as whoever-it-was let out a muffled "umph!" and became fully awake.  
  
Haku waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark, then turned his gaze bemusedly on the body sprawled over his lap. One might have thought she was blind - her wide dark eyes stared straight through his head. She couldn't see in the dark.  
  
"It's me," Haku said, touching her cheek reassuringly. "don't worry."  
  
"Haku," Chihiro let out the breath she had been holding, and her pounding heart slowly went back to normal. "where were you?"  
  
"Right here."  
  
"No, I mean the first time I lost you."  
  
"Across from you."  
  
Chihiro went a bright shade of red, and silently made a very un-Chihiro- like thanks to the darkness for hiding her features. She didn't know that Haku could see with almost perfect clarity.  
  
"What do we do now?" she asked abruptly, changing the subject and picking herself up. With a little bit of feeling and following the guide of Haku's hands, Chihiro managed to get into a sitting position next to him.  
  
"I've been thinking about that," Haku replied, sitting up straight and searching for the torch. He found it, bobbing in the water. He could always reach out to grab it - and risk falling in. no way, Hosé. Then he remembered.  
  
"Chihiro, did you swallow any of that water?"  
  
Chihiro blinked, somewhat startled. "oh - no I didn't. why?"  
  
Haku relaxed. "It's poisoned." He went back on topic - worry about the torch later. "I'll be blunt; we're lost. There's no way we can get out of here on our own. And even if we *did* get out, Raidon would be there waiting for us."  
  
Chihiro flexed her fingers and tried to see their remote shadows in the blackness. Raidon. Thunder God. What a stupid name. "Then... are we just going to wander around here forever until we starve to death?"  
  
That thought brought up the mental subject of food. And drink. What Chihiro wouldn't give for a sink full of water and a toothbrush.  
  
Haku also waited on the mental subject momentarily, but came back to the problem-at-hand. He wasn't exactly hungry, not just yet.  
  
"No. Raidon said he put the others - your parents, Yubaba, bou - in the back of his Labyrinth. Chances are that they're either trapped somewhere or wandering around here, too. The farther in we go, the closer we get to them, right?"  
  
"But what if we're not going farther in but out instead?"  
  
"Then we'll escape that way." Haku stood up, and helped Chihiro to her feet. "it's a lose-lose either way. Even if we find Yubaba and Zeniiba, and them and I put our magic together, it won't do much good to get us out."  
  
"So we're trapped!" Chihiro almost bit her bottom lip in two. "we'll never get out!"  
  
"Yes we will," Haku said soothingly. "and there's still the mystery of Raidon. Why did he just tell us his entire plan when we could easily escape like we did? I think he might have been lying."  
  
"He could want us to think that," Chihiro reasoned. "besides, even if we told anyone, would they believe us?"  
  
"After some work, maybe."  
  
"Work takes time, and in that amount of time Mr. I'm-So-Tall-Dark-and- powerful could have taken over."  
  
"You argue your case well."  
  
"Then I must be a good debatist, because I agree with your point of view much better than mine."  
  
Haku chuckled, and cupped Chihiro's cheek. "Right." He looked over her shoulder at the water. His eyes widened as they slid past the burnt piece of wood (poison? More like wood-rotter!) to the other end. "What's that?" the words slipped out before he could stop them.  
  
Chihiro whirled around, and peered closely into the darkness. "I can't see," she reported.  
  
"I know. It looks like a mouse." Haku furrowed his brow and took a step past Chihiro, sliding his hand along her arm to his with her fingers. "I didn't think that anything could live here. If it got in, it could get out."  
  
"Is it holding still? What if it's dead? I probably squished it - I tripped over something furry." Chihiro hissed.  
  
"No, it's breathing." Haku debated inwardly for a minute. "don't swallow the water." He warned, and led Chihiro to the other side, shaking excess water out of his clothes once out of the liquid's cool grasp. He bent over the little lump in the dark. "It is." He announced, picking it up. "more of a rat, I think."  
  
Chihiro felt her way down his arm to the thing, and picked it up gengerly, inspecting it with her fingers. "Poor thing," she said at last. "I must have stepped on him. I'm sorry, little mouse! Please wake up!"  
  
Amazingly, it did. It stirred, and Haku'ss hands closed with hers to keep it from falling or jumping right away.  
  
"Choo." It said after a moment.  
  
A few minutes of silence followed this.  
  
"Bou?" Chihiro asked, just to be sure.  
  
"Choo!" he repeated, and scampered up onto her shoulder, hugging her cheek and squeaking out his whole story. Chihiro couldn't understand him, of course.  
  
"Bou, it is you!" she cried happily.  
  
"Bou?" Haku asked. Chihiro froze. "Oh," she said. "it's a long story. See, Zeniiba..." she paused, remembering the "cut your mouth off" threat. "I mean, Granny cast a little spell on him, is all." Nothing more, nothing less!  
  
"Yubaba's son?" he repeated incredulously. "what is he doing here?" oh, smart Haku! Didn't you just say that yourself? Duh.  
  
Chihiro, for the most part, ignored him. "Bou, can you tell me where your mom and my parents are? Are they here, all together? Do you know?"  
  
"Choo!" he bobbed his little mousy head, but then looked sad. Body language. Chihiro loved this game.  
  
"You lost them?" Haku suggested idly. Bou bobbed his little mousy head again. "Where was the last place you saw them?"  
  
Bou pointed a little mousy finger at the dark wall. There was half a moment of silence, then Haku walked forward and reached out a hand - which went right through it.  
  
"What is it?" Chihiro asked, still blind. "where's the torch? Are my parents here?"  
  
"It's a passage way, we don't have the torch, and your parents are most likely here." Haku replied, reaching out and grabbing Chihiro's hand, leading her through the dark. Every once in a while, Bou would squeak, and they would either double back, left, right, and once even through the "ceiling".  
  
It was no surprise when Bou finally slumped, defeated, and Haku announced that they were now officially lost.  
  
Chihiro sighed. "you tried, Bou." She muttered, leaning against a wall. There was a momentary silence.  
  
Which was a good, extremely lucky, thing.  
  
Because they - all three - heard voices. Familiar voices. Voices that sounded like Yubaba, Zeniiba, Yuuko, Akio (Chihiro's parents)...  
  
Both Haku and Chihiro took off at a run, but Chihiro tripped, latched on to the nearest thing to her (Haku's waist) and all three of the landed humiliated on the ground. Haku jumped up and pulled Chihiro up too, this time keeping a strong hold on her hand.  
  
Suddenly, as they turned a corner, the passageway burst into light. Chihiro gave a startled shout, stubling back into darkness. Haku reached out and pulled her back into the light.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"A spell."  
  
And there they were - all four of the previously suspected voices, and more; two Yuna and a frog-dude. They were staring at an almost-invisible barrier, a block in the passageway. Their voices could be heard, but the words couldn't be discerned.  
  
"MOM! DADDY!" Chihiro shouted, and shot past Haku (Bou went flying - luckily, Haku caught him and immediately forgot about him on his shoulder) to the barrier.  
  
"Stop! CHIHIRO, DON'T TOUCH IT!"  
  
Haku's words registered in Chihiro's mind, and she slid and stumbled, falling back onto her butt and sliding a hairsbreadth away from the barrier, which glowed a little more.  
  
Yubaba and Co. had seen her and Haku.  
  
Chihiro ignored the two Yuna, frog-dude, Granny, and Yubaba all together, and focused her gaze on her parents, who did likewise. They didn't look to be in any better shape then Chihiro was.  
  
"Mommy, daddy, can you hear me?!? mooooooooom daaaaaaaaad! Answer me, please!"  
  
They shouted back, and the two Yuna, the frog-dude, Yubaba, and Zeniiba had to hold them back from attacking the barrier in an attempt to get to their daughter.  
  
"What's going on?" Chihiro asked, eyes filling with tears. She turned her head up at a slight angle to search Haku's face as he approached her and dragged her back a little ways from the barrier. Seeing this, Chihiro's parents went frantic (it seemed).  
  
"It's okay! Mom, daddy, calm down!" Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she allowed Haku to pull her to her feet. "calm down. What *is* it?" she repeated.  
  
"A spell. They're trapped on that side, and we're trapped on this. A very powerful barrier, and just touching it could kill you. It muffles sound, too, as I'm certain you've noticed. And it gives light only to surrounding areas in a certain diameter."  
  
"Oh." Chihiro said dumbly. What the Barrier really looked like was a piece of thick glass in the hallway, barely, barely, barely tinted yellowish. The edges around it were more of a glowing hue of cold sunlight. That seemed to be the only way to describe it. on the other side, Chihiro's parents seemed to have calmed down, and watched her sadly from where they were, as close to the barrier as they dared, hands and knees. Yubaba and Zeniiba were talking in firm tones (well, okay, one tone scathing, and the other gentle yet informing) while the frog-dude examined the edges of the barrier and the Yuna set their eyes on Haku.  
  
"How do we get to them?" Chihiro asked anxiously, abruptly aware of how she must appear to her parents. Dimly, as adrenaline left her, she became aware of the throbbing on her feet from the run, and looked down, watching the fabric and ground become tinted with red.  
  
"Best stay away from it for now," Haku said, noticing as well. He was careful to keep his own feet out of sight, and backed away to the very edge of the light, sitting Chihiro down. "I'm not sure how to get through, not yet."  
  
"How do you know that it will kill you?" Chihiro snapped, and instantly regretted her tone, folding her legs against her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Haku understood, and went over to the barrier again, picking up Bou inches from where he was trying to get to Yubaba. He returned to Chihiro, and kneeled as well.  
  
"I don't want to test your theory out, Chihiro," he said, dropping Bou unceremoniously onto her head. On the other side, the Yuna, frog-dude, and Zeniiba were holding Yubaba back while she screamed something incoherent.  
  
Both Haku and Chihiro (and Bou) watched her until she ran out of breath and let the others subdue her. Chihiro's parents kept their eyes on hers.  
  
"Mommy, daddy," she whispered, forming her lips so that they might read them. For a while, there was no sound. Restlessly, Haku stood and paced for a few moments, like the others (minus one of the Yuna and Chihiro's mother) were. Every minute or so he'd sit but then jump back up again. Chihiro's gaze drifted between him, her pacing father, and her mother.  
  
Her parents looked horrified. Did she really look that bad?  
  
After a while, Haku said, "Well, just doing nothing isn't going to do anything good on our side."  
  
"I agree," Chihiro agreed readily, shifting her sights from her mother and father to Haku standing above her. "any idea how, though?"  
  
"No. you?"  
  
Chihiro shrugged and stood up as well, tipping her head a little to keep a sleeping Bou from falling. She stretched her sore, tired muscles, then sat down again. "Magic," she offered. "you lit the torch before."  
  
"I found a broken thread in Raidon's magic shield, and anyway, that's a very simple spell; you could learn it, as a magic-less human. It still took a lot out of me."  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine." Haku held his hands up, palms facing her as though to show he wasn't armed. "I'm a LOT better off than you are, Chihiro."  
  
Chihiro looked down and fought a blush. "I don't think Raidon likes us, Haku."  
  
"Nah, where'd you get that idea?"  
  
Chihiro looked up and offered him the ghost of a smile, which Haku returned, sitting down again. In a lotus position this time.  
  
He sought eye contact with Yubaba and Zeniiba, and they granted him it.  
  
There was more silence for a while, except nobody paced. They all just stared at each other. Ten minutes later, when Chihiro began to think she was going to go crazy, her mother jumped up and screamed something at Yubaba, bursting into tears. She continued to rant, it seemed, until her father jumped up and aided her, too. Yubaba was all for shouting right back (minus the tears) and Zeniiba tried to stop them, or so it looked like. Eventually, the frog-dude and Yuna jumped in, and for a second Haku and Chihiro just stared at them.  
  
Then, deciding that being pessimistic wouldn't help, she tried to imagine what they were saying.  
  
Perhaps, it was going something like this?:  
  
Mom: do something! I must see my daughter! She looks like she's been through the mill!  
  
Daddy: I agree! Do something!  
  
Yubaba: well excu-u-use me! don't you think *I'm* worried too? At least YOUR child hasn't been turned into a filthy little rat!  
  
Zeniiba: cough  
  
Chihiro giggled, and clapped her hands together, pulling her knees up to hide her face. This wasn't the time to laugh.  
  
Haku looked at her and smiled a little bit. "What's so funny?" he asked.  
  
Thinking that Haku's smile was extremely cute (and flattering, for some reason) Chihiro told him. He snorted, too. After a moment, she spoke out loud.  
  
" Zeniiba: stop arguing, you guys! Those kids need our help!  
  
Yubaba: you stay out of this you rotten baby-snatcher!  
  
Zeniiba: EXCUSE me?!?  
  
Yubaba: yeah, you heard me!  
  
Mom: do something do something do something!!!!!  
  
Daddy: I agree I agree I agree!  
  
Yuna#1: shouting shouting shouting, you're hurting my ears!  
  
Yuna#2: aww, shut up! Your head's so big and ugly I hear your mother puts a paper bag over it before she kisses you goodnight!  
  
Frog-dude: ladies, ladies, and gentleman, please! Calm down!  
  
Yuna number 1 & 2: AW SHUT UP!"  
  
Haku laughed, and was quick to join in on the game. "Zeniiba: this arguing isn't getting us anywhere!  
  
Yubaba: have you got a better idea?!?  
  
Mom: do something already!  
  
Daddy: I agree! Now!  
  
Frog-dude: why are we shouting? We must be scaring the children!  
  
Yuna#2: ARGH! SCARE THIS!!!"  
  
Haku said this just as one of the Yuna pounced on the frog-dude and commenced to pound him into a bloody pulp. Chihiro laughed, really laughed, for the first time in what seemed like forever.  
  
Now the fighting was getting physically physical, and both Haku and Chihiro's smiles left them as they watched the others tear each other apart.  
  
"Chihiro?" Haku asked after a moment. "why are we referring to ourselves as children?"  
  
"I don't know. Why, are you not a child?"  
  
Haku huffed. "No."  
  
"Oh. You seem like one, a little older than me."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Chihiro wondered if she had insulted him at all. Abruptly, Yuna#1 jumped up and screamed something so loud that the others all stopped and stared. She then turned and stomped off. The other Yuna jumped up, and shouted something angrily in return:  
  
"No, wait! Let's play Scrabble!" Chihiro said for her. Both she and Haku laughed, and their laughter rank out in the silence.  
  
Yubaba said something scathingly, and both sombered up immediately.  
  
"They're staring at us," Chihiro sang quietly through her teeth, smiling so that the others wouldn't see her lips or tongue moving.  
  
"Just act natural," Haku replied in the same manner, and they both did their own thing to muffle snorts and hide smiles.  
  
No. they both sobered up for real this time. This was no time to laugh. No time to smile, even. Not now. Not here.  
  
Again, there was some silence. Except this time, others (minus the lost Yuna) were sitting or nursing wounds. The frog-dude looked to be unconscious, and Yubaba nudged him with her foot.  
  
"WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN SITTING AROUND HERE!" Chihiro finally screamed, jumping to her feet in frustration. She hid her grimace and waved her arms around energetically to emphasize her point. This, of course, woke Bou up, and he squeaked in dismay and found Haku's shoulder more comfortable.  
  
"I'M GOING TO GO CRAZY!!! JUST BREAK THE BARRIER ALREADY!!!"  
  
"It's not that easy, Chihiro," Haku said sternly. "who here do you think will want to kill themselves by jumping into that? It'd certainly be painful, that's for sure."  
  
"USE THE FROG!" Chihiro cried without thinking, throwing one arm out to point at the frog-dude lying prone on the ground. "He's probably already DEAD anyway!"  
  
Haku arched an eyebrow, and Chihiro gasped, and clapped her hands to her mouth. Wide eyes went from the frog to Haku to the frog again, and she met the dismayed eyes of her parents before covering her face fully and falling against the wall opposite Haku.  
  
"I didn't mean that," she whispered, tears beginning to fall. "I didn't I didn't I didn't..." it became a chant as she sunk to the ground and folded her knees around her. Where had that come from? She swallowed, and shook her head. 'don't be a sissy,' she thought angrily. A voice replied; 'don't cry, not in front of Haku, Yubaba, Zeniiba, Bou, mom and daddy, don't cry, it'll only make things worse!'  
  
'but I suggested that! I said to... to kill a - that frog! He's still alive, he's breathing!' Chihiro thought back. 'so? You're stressed, they'll understand. Stop it, Chihiro! Stop it!' 'No!'  
  
Chihiro froze, and realized that she wasn't thinking to and from herself, but somebody was actually talking. Somebody who sounded exactly like her, and who's voice sounded in her mind - but didn't seem to make any sound? 'I'm going crazy,' Chihiro thought wildly, sitting straight up and looking around. Haku was observing her closely. Her parents were also, and both looked about ready to cry, though held tears back. Yubaba examined her with no emotion. Granny looked on sympathetically. The remaining Yuna glared hotly at her. The frog-dude began to pick himself up, but collapsed.  
  
"Who's there?" she whispered in a tiny voice.  
  
"What?" Haku asked gently, leaning forward slightly. He was keeping his distance. 'A wise move,' said the voice. Chihiro shook her head, almost violently. "somebody's talking to me, sounds like me, Haku! Don't you hear her? She sounds like me? I'm going crazy, I've snapped!"  
  
Haku frowned. "No you haven't," he said firmly. Chihiro listened half- heartedly, wiping away tears. 'Stupid, stupid child. Chihiro, you are *so* selfish and such a brat. Look at that barrier.'  
  
Chihiro hit her head with her fists angrily, trying to dismiss the voice. She was hearing it, as though SHE herself was next to her, but not there. A whisper that only she could hear. She *had* gone crazy. 'look at it, baka!' the voice snapped. Slowly, Chihiro raised her head to look at the barrier. It glowed innocently at her.  
  
"Who are you?" she whispered, lips hardly moving, making no sound except a slight hiss of breath.  
  
'Who are you?' the voice mimicked. 'little Chihiro, I am you, and am not you. Sen, for lack of confusion.'  
  
"Sen?"  
  
'Look at that barrier, you spoiled brat! How selfish, siggesting somebody else do YOUR dirty work!'  
  
Chihiro was slightly aware of Haku's voice, and she broke through her thoughts and her vision unclouded, she looked at him. He was kneeling in front of her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Chihiro, what's happening to you?"  
  
"What?" she repeated dumbly. Slowly, she became aware of the fact that she was on the floor. On her stomach. Inches from the barrier. "Oh. What happened?"  
  
"You, Chihiro, just fell over and stretched out; you almost touched it."  
  
"Oh." She repeated, dumbly once more.  
  
'He cares,' she thought triumphantly to the voice. 'so, Sen, what do you think of that? Both he and mom and daddy would miss me terribly.'  
  
'No they wouldn't,' ""Sen"" hissed back in her ear. 'Haku doesn't love you, if that's what you're thinking; he's a guy, and all guys have a sense of pride to carry out. He thinks that you're his responsibility. As for mom and daddy, look what they've done to you! Bou is a baby, doesn't matter, and granny is just kind. She took pity on you before, no more. You'd be doing them all a favor!'  
  
"No," Chihiro whispered, and blinked back the clouds. This time she was on her back, and Haku was above her, one knee placed firmly on her chest, looking *EXTREMELY* worried.  
  
"Chihiro! What's going on?"  
  
Chihiro made no hesitation in telling the truth - she wanted to know if she really had snapped. "Sen. It's Sen, she's, just, whispering to me, like nobody can see her, and only I can hear her, she says her name is Sen and that - that - that I'm - that," think fast think fast! "-and that the barrier can be broken without anybody important dying! Haku, I'm going crazy!" the last phrase had burst out before she could stop it.  
  
"No," realization crossed Haku's features. He passed a hand over her forehead, and she felt his cold touch, shivering slightly. "another spell, Raidon! RAIDON, LEAVE HER!" running on energy and adrenaline, Haku burst through Raidon's magic shield, and Chihiro heard ""Sen"" hiss angrily. Or in pain?  
  
There was a bright flash of light, and there was a sudden tightness around her wrists. She felt without knowing it - ropes. When the flash was gone, and the spots had cleared her vision, Chihiro gasped in shock at three things: 1, Raidon was standing above her, holding the ends of the ropes, glaring with hatred at Haku. 2, the barrier was broken, and her parents and Co. had all stumbled back in shock. 3, Haku didn't look too good.  
  
"Well, well, well," Raidon remarked, dropping the ropes. Chihiro squeaked, and struggled out of them, getting to her feet and stumbling behind/into Haku. Raidon's voice was his own, but also had hers as well. Sen and Raidon talking together at the same time from the same mouth. Chihiro swallowed.  
  
"YOU!" Yubaba roared, lurching forward. Since Haku had (apparently) broken Raidon's shield, she could summon up a spell and throw it at him. There was another great flash of light, and everybody shouted as their surroundings changed and shifted, until they were in the room Haku and Chihiro had run from earlier before. Her feet tingled in remembrance, and she swallowed again. This gulp was followed swiftly by a yelp of "Haku!" as Haku keeled over, slumping in her arms, barely breathing.  
  
Chihiro's parents had figured out they could get to their daughter, and ran to her. Her father relieved her of Haku, laying him off to the side, embracing his daughter tightly along with his wife.  
  
"Chihiro, we've been so worried!" her mother hiccoughed. "what did they do to you???"  
  
"I've been beat up et al," Chihiro replied softly. She raised her gaze from Haku to Raidon, who watched them with superior neutrality. She clutched her parents to her as though they would never meet again should she let go.  
  
"You did that to me," she told him coldly.  
  
"Oh, it was fun." Raidon replied.  
  
"And what if she had died? What would you do, Raidon, had you been successful in killing her?" Haku pushed himself shakily to his knees, slumped. However, his eyes shone with defiance and with an effort that he refused to show outwardly, he pulled himself fully to his feet and locked eyes with Raidon. Chihiro tried to say something, but Haku silenced her. She cuddled her parents closer.  
  
"I'm impressed, Haku-chan," Raidon said blandly. "I was wondering when one of you little magic-users might find the weakness in my shield. Certainly took long enough." With a snap of his fingers, Yubaba, Zeniiba, and the Yuna (the second was nowhere near) disappeared. "to my dungeons," he said by explanation. Then the frog-dude was levitated up and came to rest in front of the four remaining.  
  
"And I suppose that you will fight me should I threaten to kill this toad?" he asked, sitting calmly on his desk. Haku's fists tightened, and he set his feet farther apart, as though preparing for something large to strike him. Raidon laughed. "you can't hide yourself from me, child, neither of you can." Raidon's eyes began to sparkle in a hard, cold way. Uh-oh, Chihiro thought. "I can see how physically disabled this all has made my little Sen-chan. And I know that should you even try a simple spell as to changing your shape, you would die from exhaustion, my dearest Haku. Must the both of you be so egoistic?"  
  
he snapped his fingers, and Chihiro's parents disappeared. She screamed and jumped to her feet.  
  
"Bring them back, roba!" she cried. She gasped as there was a sudden tightening around her chest, and she looked down, feeling her rib cage begin to cave in... then it stopped. Chihiro gasped for air as Raidon dropped his hand. "Excuse me, Sen-chan," he said sweetly.  
  
Haku gave a ragged sigh. "Stop playing, Raidon," he said. "I've figured out most of it; you aren't planning on taking over this world, and your real name isn't Raidon, either. You hesitated slightly before you told us "Raidon," and this is all happening too fast."  
  
Raidon threw his head back and laughed.  
  
"Once again, well done Haku-chan!" he said, still smirking.  
  
"Don't tell another lie," Haku told him.  
  
"Oh, I assure you, I won't." Raidon said, smirking broadenedly. "Please, sit down."  
  
Neither of them moved. Raidon's eyes narrowed.  
  
"I said, sit *down*!" both gasped and made a throat sound, collapsing as Raidon jerked them into some large pillows out of nowhere with his wrist. Haku groaned and leaned forward, fighting the bile rising in his throat.  
  
Raidon also sat on a pillow across from them, and began, "You've proven yourselves - so I'll tell you. First of all, my real name is Kanaye, which means 'zealous one' if you're smart," he paused for a moment. "And I just want to have a little fun. Test out my powers. I am the spirit of power, that is, and you two happen to be the ones I decided to test it on." Again, Kanaye paused as though in thought. "What else is there to say? Anything other than what I have told you has just been leading you up to believing my first lie." He said nothing after that.  
  
When Haku had finally fought the nausea down and gotten a better fist on his fatigue, he looked Kanaye straight in the eye.  
  
"Seems like a large effort to me," he said quietly. Kanaye snorted. "all with the flick of my wrist, my little Haku-chan." He said smoothly.  
  
"And how come you decided now, of all times, to test your power, oh Power Spirit?" Chihiro asked bitterly.  
  
Kanaye leaned forward so that their faces were inches apart. "Ah, my dearest Sen-chan, I am afraid that is a long story to tell."  
  
"We have time," Haku pointed out flatly. Chihiro pursed her lips.  
  
Kanaye leaned back and sighed dramatically. "where to begin?" he murmured, stroking his chin. Haku's eyes narrowed even more.  
  
"Alright, then. I was once just a lowly little Rock Spirit, much like you are now Haku-chan - a child. That was when my Master found me - a kind Master, too. Gave me powers that I never dreamed of having. My Master said that I would not be able to use them until I completed my training and that was that. So now, hundreds of years later, I have finally completed my training! But what was I to do with such power? I'd always wanted to use it on a human - I never truly intended to kill my little guinea pigs, so to speak. Not yet, anyway. You, little Haku-chan, are simply my accompaniment toy."  
  
He leaned back and nodded once, firmly. "So that's it."  
  
"So that's it," Haku mimicked, and stood. "then if you're done playing with us, then I think that I'll take Chihiro home now."  
  
"Oh, no, I'm not done playing with you two by far." Kanaye said, standing also. "in fact, I've only just begun!"  
  
"What are you going to do to us?" Chihiro demanded, standing gingerly as welll. Kanaye studied her closely and gave a malicious grin.  
  
Otherwise, he didn't answer. Chihiro steeled herself for what she was going to do next.  
  
"Please," she said. "Set the others free; give everybody back their memory and return them to their homes. Unharmed. Unscathed. Make," she swallowed, "make them forget that Haku and I ever existed. I promise, I'll obey you, if, if, if you do that." She fought back tears, and Haku watched her closely for a moment.  
  
"I second that request," he said. "you can do whatever with me, but let the others go, with no memory whatsoever. I won't fight, if you do."  
  
Kanaye laughed. He watched both of them mirthfully. "Oh, but my dear sweet children," he said. "what fun would that be for me, if you did not fight? You forget that we are not here for your pleasure." His eyes took on a malicious glint. "BUT because I am a very kind man I will do as you request; all will go to the way it was one week ago - Haku-chan, everybody will think that you are away on an important mission in the Human world, and Sen-chan, your parents will believe that you are with relatives."  
  
He held up his fingers and snapped them. The sound echoed and bounced off of the walls.  
  
"Done. Now, you have nothing to worry about." Kanaye thought about this, then frowned. "Shimatta," he cursed. He hadn't meant to give in, but they were both such little brats - sweet little brat that could be eaten. "except each other." He decided at last. "Now instead of risking your necks for a little mouse, you'll be risking your necks for each other!" pleased with his decision, Kanaye clapped his hands twice and they all three landed in a large room, with a circular dome for a roof that stretched far above their heads. Another clap from his hands, and Haku's and Chihiro's wounds were healed, their fatigue, hunger, pain, blood, tastes all gone. Good as new. A third clap of the hands, and they were on separate ends of the room.  
  
"Now," he said brightly. "I will be right back. Don't. leave. This. Room." That said, Kanaye turned and left, the door slamming closed behind him. It melted into the wall, and became a no way in no way out room. A large room, that seemed to be an entire mile long. All whitish gray colored. With a dome for a roof, and a single window that showed a bright blue sky the size of a postage stamp.  
  
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A/N: confused yet? I'm not, I've got everything organized and ready. Don't worry, things will begin to flatten out soon. And I'm very, very sorry for the delay in posting this. I have two other STCNK fics to update, you know, and one of them I haven't even posted yet! I will tonight, though. Lol.  
  
Chrissy: yup, you must be special. =^_^= though I am glad that SOMEBODY has actually followed everything this far. :D  
  
Wild Fox of the Wasteland: yay! Another person who still hasn't gotten lost! Teehee, I totally understand about the slash thing. I used to have an entire website deicated to anti-slash stuff, and everything. I was actually emotional about it. and nnow look what I'm a fan of - isn't that sad? It's sad. Definitely sad. ANYHOOT, I'd hate to displease any of my readers, so okay! :D happy that you like this!  
  
Merayna: lol, my chapters are getting longer! I think. Sorta. See, I usually type a minimum of two or three chapters and put them in the same document. See, I'd like to do "Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, etc., et al" but in my experience as a reader I've noticed that those are distracting and peeve the reader. Dunno. Maybe I'm strange. And, you can trust me, I sped things up for a good cause; too many chapters in one fic are just... too hard to keep track of. *snort* but either way, thank you thank you thank you for reading this! ^_~ confusing stuff will level out at some point. Lol  
  
Lady Dark Angel: I like this?? Coo! Lol, and trust me, Raidon - or should I say Kanaye? - is only beginning his games, so, I'm sorry about that! But trust me, this *will* have a happy ending, complete with a couple a romance scenes between our heroes. ;] lol  
  
Kerochan: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (et al) SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *hugs Kerochan to the point of going blue in the face* I'm so happy happy happy yur lovin' this, I am, I am!!! THANK YOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!! *faints*  
  
Heather b: lol, I'll put things in English once I find the translations - I know baka and that king brat one, and still searching for the friend who so kindly lent them to my brother an I. Yup, and (whatshisface) was originally going to be bi but I guess I had a change in plans. Some people are quesy with that kinda stuff. *shrugs* but hey, I stick a pan in the microwave intending to make a love potion and I end up getting grounded (at my age!! Can you believe it?!?) so nothing surprised me anymore.  
  
Am I ranting? Sorry.  
  
TO ALL: muchas muchas gracias (sp?) for reviewing this! Lol, did I mention I'm very proud of myself for scoring readers? *snort* and, as with always me, there's a catch to this - the next chap might take a bit. No longer than a week (at the most - how many ficlets have I been neglecting?) and if it takes me longer than that I'll have to do a double post or something else to make up for it. see, I don't write a chapter a night - I get started on one and then add on to it as I plop down in my free time. *grins sheepishly*  
  
*passes out dragon-shaped cookies*  
  
Sorry and Thank You!!!!! *skips off singing that old Water Pets commercial that stopped being aired in - what? - 1993* 


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